Golden Glade don quixote

The wolf stalked the glade with purpose, forging his own path where he found traces of wolf scent on the off-chance it was someone he knew. He avoided the piles of golden leaves whenever he was able. If the man was to find his wandering wife, he would do so with cunning, and with quiet.
The air was growing colder by the day and soon, he thought, he would be left to hunt for himself and find shelter. The sky was growing dark despite the hour (it wasn't yet midday); the wind gusted through the grove and sent tendrils of unwelcome chill throughout his body; as a result, Neizan was in no laughing mood.
The scowl on his face was clue enough of his poor mood.
When I find you, you are in for a world'a hurt, puta.

it was a harsh looking older man he laid eyes upon, nearly too late to avoid him.

an autumn storm, handsome in a sad sort of way. tracker knew better than to stray into the path of an angry man, but he was also prepared to extend his services beyond the sovereign leader.

especially to one as silently lurking as this one.

a soft chittering sound in the back of his throat.

need an extra set of paws?

A coyote?
He almost did not see it. The creature was lanky, taller than himself, and with its colors it could hide away among the trees; but it had crept upon him and spoken. They were pests sometimes, but this one offered assistance. If he had been hungrier, maybe this would have gone a different way.
Maybe, he grumbled.
My no-good wife! She was s'pose to wake me this morning, but I swear this woman put somethin' in my dinner. Can't remember last night. She's gone — la mujerzuela! He said all of this as if it were a big joke; not an ounce of anger within him. It was all stuffed down deep.
Have you seen anyone come this way, 'sides me?

no good wives!

tracker knew nothing of them, but he knew how fickle creatures could get. stir crazy his mother had called it. den fever his father had said.

your wife one to hide among other faces? he purred with humor, but his features remained serious. through these woods, towards the cedars and the river. nestled between mountains. his head swung down the path he had taken. his newest post laid there in wait.

hildibrandr. the word clunky on his smooth tongue. they ask little of new faces, if you understand.

it would be easy for a no-good wife to dive in there.

the sovereign leader had asked nothing of him when he had only but bowed to her. no feats to prove his worth.

the creature proved worthwhile company.
wouldn't put it past her, but she's a shy sort. only really opens up to me. then again, if zaira was going to hide away from him for any sustained length of time, it would be easier where the population was higher. he stopped his searching to look at the thin man.
hildibrandr. they ask little of new faces. how conspiratorial.
the wolf understood. there was always the chance his dullard of a wife had found her way there, pled some sob story, and found solace among them.
take me there. it wasn't a question.

he was a man of few questions.

life would always be easier and kinder when one minded their own business. asked only things of necessity and go about their day.

take me there.

he turned at once, prepared to head back the path he had come from. but there was indeed one thing he figured he must ask as they worked along the trail.

will you speak to the sovereign leader of your no-good wife or send me in?

perhaps it became apparent how grey his morals were.

the coyote knew not to trifle with a man on a mission - good.
either the little man went in, or the wolf could. he was fully capable of fighting his own battles, wrangling his own women. it was a family matter.
i will speak to your boss. it seemed right to do it that way. if there was resistance, then he would seek the coyote again. are all people so helpful in these parts? he wondered aloud.

are all people so helpful in these parts?

tall ears cupped, his lips peeled into a brief smirk. a smolder, even!

i cannot speak to all. he informed the other man. but it is my role to be helpful. i offer my services as hunter and rogue to those who need them.

and his voice spoke without saying that anything could be done for a price!

I'm fortunate then to have found you!
He sounded pleased, but there was the underlying darkness in his voice that proved he did not fully trust, ever.
The sky had begun to spit rain. Neizan could hear it on the remaining leaves, like little feet running from surface to surface, sometimes all at once and sometimes interspersed. It would pick up as they moved through the woods.
If she is not there, I do not know what I will do. He admitted as the quiet fell between them, and the racing upon the leaves grew more furious. First my daughter, now my wife. Women, sí, they are like chickens without heads sometimes.
More useful that way, too, he thought darkly.

a bottlebrush tail swayed for a moment, below his hips.

it was good to be in the presence of somebody who had needed tasks done. it instilled in him some sense of the purpose he had been raised to seek.

the man's comment could be taken as comical. for the betterment of both, tracker chuckled. low and cooing. he could play along like a good dog.

it is why there are roosters, he listened to the increasing rain, thankful for the overhang of leaves. they herd the hens, protect them, give order. without the rooster? well i don't need to tell you, do i?

his teeth chattered with low laughter.

Fade, have new one?

To have his views confirmed and reciprocated by another man was enough to rouse Neizan's humor, and he soon laughed along with the creature. It should have been belittling to find commonality with a lesser beast, but Neizan did not mind so much in the moment.
Exactly! Tú entiendes. A woman does not know order without a man to guide her. We think the same, perrito.
I have hope. If the woman fled to your home, she will be quickly found. Before long they would be at the outer limits of a claim, sharing together their disdain for women and their foolishness. Their laughter filled the grove, for now.